As Sister Hazel frontman Ken Block continues to bask in the glow of the recent birth of his son, Chance, the band's new single, "Change Your Mind," continues to climb the pop radio charts, setting the stage for next week's release of "Fortress," Sister Hazel's new album.

MTV News recently caught up with Block and Sister Hazel guitarist Ryan Newell, and the two talked about the genesis of "Change Your Mind," a track that helped kick-start the final round of recording sessions for "Fortress."

"When I sat down to write ['Change Your Mind'], I was in this total mode of, 'Quit thinking about anybody else's opinion or what something needs to sound like,'" Block explained. "I wanted to just go in and write some songs that sounded good.

"It's a very big battle for me," he continued, "'because I just get little blips of that, and my mind can run into a prison at times. So I kind of wrote it real simply and straightforward as a little bit of a mantra or something, and I really liked the way it sounded acoustically, so I laid it down and brought it to the guys.

"We all spent a few days really working it up, and Ryan came up with a killer intro. It was one of those songs that really fell together and was a catalyst for the record taking back off in the second half [of the sessions]. We all sort of locked in together.

Block said. "Everybody was feeling it and knew exactly what to do and 'Change Your Mind' was that. It was just a straightforward little song that was meant to just some from the heart and not the head. Everybody in the band really brought a nice color to it."

"It was recorded really quickly, too," added guitarist Ryan Newell. "We laid it down to see what it was going to sound like, and all of a sudden there's a bunch of high fives going around the room. Those are the ones that end up being the magical songs."

"The opposite of overthinking," [RealVideo] Block concluded.

Sister Hazel's "Fortress" will be released on June 27, and on June 29 the band will launch a tour to support the album in Tampa, Florida.

• Sister Hazel

Sister Hazel frontman Ken Block and his wife, Tracy, have just become the proud new parents of a baby boy, who was born around 4:00 p.m. (ET) Monday in Gainesville, Florida, and weighed in at 8 lbs., according to the band's publicist.

Shortly prior to the birth of his son, Block and his Sister Hazel bandmates dropped by MTV News to discuss their new album, "Fortress," and Block talked about some of the effects that becoming a new dad was having on him.

"It's a real interesting time for us," Block said. "We're real excited. My wife is a very bright, together lady. We've been together for a long time, and so she understands the travel we have to do [as a band] and what we have to go through, but this kid is going to have more uncles and aunts than anybody.

"He's the oldest kid ever," interjected Sister Hazel's Andrew Copeland.

"And it's very bizarre to step into that role," Block continued, "but it's really, really exciting, and it's the most important thing I'll ever do."

Block will spend the next few weeks huddled with wife and child, but the birth isn't expected to affect the band's touring plans, as they're slated to head out on the road in support of "Fortress" starting on June 29 in Tampa, Florida.

"Everyone's in pretty serious relationships," Block said,

"As far as writing goes, I've started a few little things that have to do with that transition, but I had already written most of [the songs] by that time. But it really does make you contemplate, and it brings about a lot of thought, that's for sure." [RealVideo]

"Change Your Mind" [RealAudio] is the first single from Sister Hazel's "Fortress" album, which is due out on June 27.

• Sister Hazel

The Southern troubadours in Sister Hazel will return next month with "Fortress," the band's first new album since 1997's major label debut, "Somewhere More Familiar," which spawned the massive hit, "All For You."

Thanks to the single, Sister Hazel spent most of the last few years on the road, headlining its own dates and opening for the likes of the Allman Brothers as its "Somewhere More Familiar" LP racked up sales in excess of 930,000 copies, according to SoundScan.

When it came time to start work on "Fortress," Sister Hazel first demo'd material at a Los Angeles studio with Guns 'N Roses producer Mike Clink last summer, then finished up the sessions with producers Richie Zito (Cheap Trick) and Paul Ebersold (3 Doors Down).

Sister Hazel lead singer and guitarist Ken Block talked with MTV News about the triple-threat producing combo and explained what each contributed to the making of the new album.

Block said. "The first thing I know we all looked at when we came off the road, because we didn't have a lot of time to record our [last] record, one of the things we're really proud of is our live show and energy at our live show.

"The first thing we looked for was somebody who could capture that, and we knew Mike had a lot of energy on his records, and I think we learned a lot from that experience with him.

"As songwriters, we wanted to experiment," Block continued,

"He gets it," added guitarist Ryan Newell.

"He gets 'Where did this band came from?''" Block agreed, "and we didn't want to skip any steps in the evolution of Sister Hazel." [RealVideo]

During the L.A. sessions with Mike Clink, Sister Hazel happened to be recording in the same studio as the infamous rock and roll recluse Axl Rose, whom Sister Hazel spotted several times while working on its own material.

"He worked at night," Newell recalled. "He came in around 12:30 in the evening, er, the morning, I would say. And they would dim the lights for him and he'd walk in."

Block said.

"And you'd see his shadow going around the corner," Newell said, "and that was about it." [RealVideo]

"Change Your Mind," the first single from "Fortress," has just been sent out to radio, while "Fortress" will be released on June 27. Sister Hazel will then head out on the road for a tour that kicks off on June 29 in Tampa, Florida.

Dates currently scheduled for Sister Hazel's upcoming tour:

• 6/29 - Tampa, FL @ Janus Landing
• 7/1 - Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues
• 7/2 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Park Zoo
• 7/2 - St. Louis, MO @ Laclede's Landing
• 7/3 - Orlando, FL @ Crane's Roost Lake
• 7/4 - Milwaukee, WI @ Summerfest
• 7/7 - Charlotte, NC @ Tremont Music Hall
• 7/8 - Birmingham, AL @ 5 Points Music Hall
• 7/9 - Memphis, TN @ New Daisy Theatre
• 7/13 - Minneapolis, MN @ Quest Club
• 7/21 - Atlanta, GA @ The Roxy
• 7/22 - Atlanta, GA @ The Roxy
• 7/27 - Buffalo, NY @ Lafayette Square
• 8/3 - Nashville, TN @ Riverfront Park

• Sister Hazel

Members of Sister Hazel will exchange their mic stands for flight helmets this week, as bassist Jeff Beres and rhythm guitarist Andrew Copeland have agreed to take flight with the world famous aerial corps, the Blue Angels.

• Sister Hazel

Barenaked Ladies, Elvis Costello, Edwin McCain and Sister Hazel are among the performers that have agreed to play this year's Mixfest, a free concert being held at Boston's City Hall Plaza the weekend of October 10 and 11.

Event organizers expect the two-day event to draw over 200,000 fans for sets from a variety of musical acts and performers, including Heather Nova, Anggun, Chantal Kreviazuk, the Corrs, Royal Crown Revue, the Blue Man Group and the New England Patriots Cheerleaders.

Mixfest, which is being sponsored by a local Boston-area radio station, will seek to raise voluntary donations for the Children's Advocacy Center of Suffolk County, Inc., a non-profit organization that aids child abuse victims.

Those interested in more information about Mixfest '98, including additional line-up announcements and schedule updates, can call 1-800-MIX-FEST or visit a promotional site set-up for the event at www.mix985.com.

• Barenaked Ladies
• Elvis Costello
• Sister Hazel

Wilco and Sister Hazel are the latest bands to hop on-board an upcoming tribute album to power pop pioneers Big Star that already boasts the Afghan Whigs, Matthew Sweet, R.E.M.'s Mike Mills and Gin Blossoms among others.

Big Star drummer Jody Stephens has been working on the album, titled "BIG STARsmall world," for years, and since we first reported on the tribute in November of 1996, Wilco has handed over a version of "Thirteen" and Sister Hazel entered Ardent Studios in Memphis (where Stephens now works) to record "September Girls."

"It's interesting to hear how the songs hold up under different musical interpretations," Stephens told MTV News Online of the project. He said that after a year of mostly paperwork, the album may see the light of day this summer on Ignition Records, but the label says that no release date has been set yet.

Stephens also said that Big Star may get together for a few shows when the album is released.

During Big Star's brief run from 1972 to 1978, the band crafted a sound that influenced bands from the Replacements to R.E.M. Many of those who worship at the alter of Big Star will turn up on "BIG STARsmall world." Here's what you'll find:

• Afghan Whigs - "Nightime"
• The Posies - "What's Goin Ahn"
• The Gin Blossoms - "Back of a Car"
• Kelly Willis - "When My Baby's Beside Me"
• Whiskeytown - "Give Me Another Chance"
• Teenage Fanclub - "Jesus Christ"
• Juliana Hatfield - "Don't Lie To Me
• Matthew Sweet w/ R.E.M.'s Mike Mills - "Ballad of El Goodo"
• The Idle Wilds - "You Get What You Deserve"
• Wilco - "Thirteen"
• Sister Hazel - "September Girls"
• Big Star - "Hot Thing"

• Big Star
• R.E.M.
• Sister Hazel
• Matthew Sweet
• Wilco